Over the Edge
by FlawlessPrincess21
Summary: James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter are in their sixth year at Hogwarts. They are up to their usual tomfoolery, but what happens when they push Severus over the edge? Rated T for rude behavior, language, and underage drinking.
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

James Potter sighed and stared blankly ahead as Professor Slughorn drawled on about his many encounters with Glenda Chittock, a popular Wizard radio station presenter. James imagined his sixth year at Hogwarts to be more exciting and so far, the classes bored him and his crush, Lily Evans, ignored him. Sighing once more, James glanced at his best friend sitting right beside him, Sirius Black. Sirius was also staring ahead, his eyes glazed over slightly. James smiled and poked Sirius in the arm with his quill. Sirius's eyes snapped towards James and he rubbed his arm.

"Oi! What'd you do that for?" Sirius whisper-shouted at James, though his grey eyes sparkled with renewed amusement. James shrugged.

"Just bored beyond belief. I swear, Padfoot, the rubbish that this man-" James was cut off by professor Slughorn, who cleared his throat loudly at him. Sirius snickered.

"Mr. Potter, I am sorry that the 'rubbish' that I am talking about is distracting you from your conversation with Mr. Black," Slughorn crossed his arms.

"Er, sorry sir! I wasn't talking about you..." James tried covering for himself. Slughorn smiled.

"Of course you weren't, my dear boy!" He clapped James on the back and continued on with whatever it was he was talking about. James let out a relieved breath and glanced back at Sirius, who grinned.

"Wow. It doesn't take much to convince him," Sirius shook his head in disbelief.

"Yeah, no kidding. Just don't question it," James chuckled quietly. Remus Lupin, who was sitting one row in front of them turned around and looked at them, biting his lip to keep himself from smiling. The boy sitting next to Remus also turned around, shooting James and Sirius a nasty glare. Severus Snape.

"Nothing to see here, Snivellus!" James snapped.

"Turn back around, Snivelly!" Sirius piped up. Severus scowled and turned around. His hand shot up into the air.

"Professor Slughorn! Can you _please_ control the two immature boys sitting behind me? Their talking is distracting me from the lesson!" Severus tattled, glancing back around and flashing them a wicked smile as if to say _haha I told on you! _James glared back angrily and Sirius flipped him off. Severus gasped. "Professor Slughorn! Did you see that?!"

"Hmm? Yes, yes, my boy, that's very nice," Slughorn said, clearly too engrossed in the packet of crystallized pineapples that a Slytherin student brought for him. Severus huffed and crossed his arms, sulking.

"You shouldn't have ratted them out. Grow up. You're 16, for Merlin's sake!" Remus rolled his eyes at Severus.

"Oh, you're only defending them because they're your only friends," Severus snapped. Remus snorted.

"That's right, they are my friends," he went back to scribbling down notes with his quill, ignoring Severus. Severus sized up the boy and clucked his tongue disdainfully. Remus was even skinnier and sallow looking than before. He had a large, fading bruise on his jaw and his eyes had enormous bags under them. His hair was disheveled and he was slouching in his seat, as though he was too exhausted to sit upright properly. Severus squinted suspiciously at him.

"You look awful," He commented. Remus looked up at him impatiently.

"I had a rough night. Too much homework, not enough sleep," Remus answered before going back to his notes, purposefully trying to appear busy so that Severus wouldn't continue prodding him.

"Yeah, I hate it when my homework gives me bruises," Snape retorted. Remus glanced up at him and quickly back down, deciding against trying to come up with another excuse. He figured that not answering would maybe shut Severus up.

"You're all dismissed early for the day!" Slughorn boomed. "You can thank Miss Kelly here for bringing me these delicious crystallized pineapples and putting me into such a good mood!" He excited the classroom happily.

The students began gathering their books, ink pots, cauldrons, quills, and parchment up and began to file out. Severus remained seated. "I know that you and your loser friends are up to something. I will find out," Snape said to Remus in a low voice.

"We are not up to anything!" Remus insisted nervously. Severus was the _last_ person he wanted to find out about his "furry little problem". Severus shook his head firmly.

"Mark my word, I _will _find out," He sneered, sensing Remus's unease.

"Piss off, Snape," Sirius narrowed his eyes at Severus as he and James walked up to them. They noticed Severus harassing Remus and at first, watched with interest, but once they saw that Remus was beginning to feel uncomfortable, they decided to step in, as any pair of heroic Gryffindor's would.

"Yeah, leave Remus alone, or else we'll make you leave him alone," James pulled his wand out from his back pocket. Severus eyed him angrily and obediently got up from his desk.

"You can't threaten people with your wand in school, Potter!" Severus spat. James grinned viciously at him.

"Oh yeah? Well I just did," He pointed it directly at Severus. Remus backed up, knowing that the exchange would turn violent at any second.

"James, it's not worth it. Let's just go," Remus said in a tired tone. "If you get caught doing something to him in a classroom, you'll be given suspended or expelled." James, taking in what Remus said, began to lower his wand.

"Yeah, that's right, listen to your girlfriend!" Severus said maliciously. Sirius raised his eyebrows in shock.

"Shut it, prick!" Sirius stood next to James and whipped out his own wand. Severus rolled his eyes at them.

"Two against one? How noble of you Gryffindor's to think that this is a fair match," Severus scoffed. Sirius and James exchanged a glance.

"Just go. You aren't worth our time," James muttered.

"Just like you aren't worth Lily's time, right James?" Severus delivered the final blow that sent James over the edge.

"WHY YOU-WORTHLESS-FUCKING TWAT!" James wound back and punched Severus square in the face. Severus stumbled back and blood spurted from his nose. Sirius and Remus quickly rushed over and held James back, trying to calm him down.

"Come on, let's get you out of here," Sirius began dragging James towards the door. Remus followed behind.

"You shouldn't have done that! You know he's going to tell on you!" Remus scolded his friend. Severus watched them leave, clutching his broken nose. His body was burning with anger towards James and his gang of arrogant prats. He watched his bright red blood drip to the floor, forming a small puddle. _Next time, I'm not going to be the one who is left alone and bleeding_. _Next time will be different._


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter 2_

Severus trudged into the library, and sat down at a vacant table. He grabbed a thick, old book from his knapsack and began reading.

"Hey Sevy!" A cheerful voice greeted him. Severus looked up and smiled at his oldest friend, Lily Evans. Lily was wearing her usual school uniform and a gold locket. Her deep red hair was smooth and shiny, falling effortlessly past her shoulders. Her green eyes sparkled happily as she sat down next to Severus. She turned to say something else to him but immediately stopped herself and gasped, her cheerfulness fading as quickly as it had came.

"Severus, your nose! What happened?" Her eyebrows crinkled with worry. She studied his now purple and swollen nose. He had managed to stop the bleeding and cleaned up all of the dried blood, but that wasn't enough to hid the ugly purple bruise.

"Oh, this?" Severus lowered his head back down into his book, letting his black hair fall over his face in an attempt to hide the bruise from Lily, as she was clearly disturbed by it. "Potter punched me. It doesn't hurt, he punches like a fairy. It only looks bad because bruising very easily runs in my family," He lied, raising his hand up to touch his nose and wincing slightly as he made contact with the tender area. Lily narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"Why did he punch you?" She asked monotonously. Severus shrugged. "That's not an answer. Why did he punch you?" She asked again, more assertively. Severus fiddled nervously with a page in his book.

"I dunno! He's mad, completely bonkers. He just hates me because I hang out with you and he's jealous," Severus shrugged again. Lily shook her head in disgust.

"That idiotic meathead! Does he honestly think that he can beat up one of my _friends_ and I'll start fancying him?" She fumed. Severus nodded.

"He thinks that being all brawn and no brains is the way to win a lady's heart. Disgusting," Severus spat bitterly. He grimaced as another shot of pain ran through his nose. He gingerly ran a finger down the bridge. "Damn," he muttered, feeling that it was indeed broken. Lily looked over at him, calming down from her earlier rant.

"Oh, that looks worse than I first thought," She said quietly. Severus turned his head away, embarrassed.

"Please, it really isn't," He fibbed. Lily shook her head and smiled softly, pulling her wand out of her robe.

"Here, let me just help. It'll fix it and take the pain away," She said gently. Severus groaned and reluctantly turned back toward her, presenting her with his injured nose.

"_Episkey,_" She pointed her wand delicately on his nose. It immediately snapped back into its proper place.

"Ow!" Severus yelped. He wiggled his nose, eyes widening. "Wow! Lily, you're amazing! It feels as good as new!" Severus grinned. Lily laughed.

"Why, thank you. Hey, maybe I should take over for Madam Pomfrey when she retires," she joked. Severus chuckled.

"Well, you are one of the most talented witches in our grade. You could probably do anything. Me, I'm just good at Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts," Severus said, a touch of envy in his voice.

"Severus, you are a _brilliant_ Wizard. One of the best that I have ever met," Lily touched his hand gently. His face burned and hand tingled. He looked down quickly so that she wouldn't see him blushing. He silently cursed his pale skin that was ever so prone to showing his emotions.

"Thanks," he mumbled. Lily smiled kindly at him and checked the time on the antique clock that sat on the wall behind them.

"Oh darn, I'm late! I told Marlene that I would meet her in the Common Room at 6. Sorry Severus, I have to go," She got up from the table and gathered up her belongings. Severus waved goodbye to her and went back to his book.

Lily scurried down the corridors, mumbling under her breath about how forgetful and unreliable she was. she couldn't believe that she was almost half an hour late meeting her best friend. She picked up her pace, her long red hair flying behind her. Suddenly, she crashed into something, no, _someone_.

"Watch it, will ya?!" The boy she hit snapped, rubbing his head. He picked up his glasses, which she knocked off, from the floor. He slide them back onto his face and glared at Lily. "Oh! It's you!" The boy's anger melted into nervousness. Lily scoffed.

"James," She shook her head ruefully. "I was going to apologize for bumping into you, but seeing as you've made punching my friends your new hobby, I no longer feel obliged to say sorry to you," she stuck her nose up in the air snobbishly. James ran his hand through his hair.

"Why are you always taking his side? He had it coming. You should have heard-" James began, but Lily immediately cut him off.

"I don't care what led up to it, the bottom line is, you were the one who got violent. Besides, I have a hard time believing that he did anything to you. You and your friends are always bullying him for no reason!" She snapped. James's mouth dropped open, taken aback.

"We don't pick on him for no reason!" He said defensively. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Sure," She said sarcastically. "I definitely believe you." She pushed past him and continued down the corridor. James ran and caught back up to her.

"Look, Lily, I'm sorry. Really," James said sincerely.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," She sniffed. James exhaled impatiently.

"I don't think that I owe him an apology," He said finally. Lily pursed her lips.

"Well, I'm sorry that you don't see why you were wrong to do what you did," She said as they arrived at the Portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Password?" The Fat Lady asked lazily.

"Nymph Butter," Lily said confidently. The Fat Lady shook her head.

"The pass has been changed," The Fat Lady said.

"But I don't know the new password! I'm already late, please let me in!" Lily moaned. The Fat Lady shook her head again. James snickered. "You think that's funny? I promised Marlene that I would meet her!" Lily angrily whirled around at James. James smiled contently at her.

"Evans, I know the password. I can get us in, on one condition," He smirked.

"And what exactly is this condition?" Lily huffed.

"I'll give you the password if you go out with me to Hogsmeade tomorrow," He grinned. Lily clenched her fists.

"No! Never!" she snapped. James continued smiling.

"Then I guess we'll be standing out here for a while," He yawned. Lily looked desperately at the Fat Lady and then back at him. James checked his gold watch and then looked back up at her.

"Merlin! Fine! I'll go to Hogsmeade with you tomorrow! Now please," she scowled and gestured at the Fat Lady. James broke out into a toothy grin, clearly very pleased.

"Amor Vincit Omnia," He said easily. The Fat Lady smiled and swung open. "After you," James stepped back and let Lily through. Lily breezed past him and stepped through the hole. James, a small smile still lingering on his face, followed.


End file.
